School transportation directors, supervisors, mechanics, bus drivers, and computer technicians from all over Maine will be traveling to Sugarloaf Mountain for the annual intensive training on school transportation.
The conference will be held in Carrabassett Valley July 21-24. This is a multi-track conference with topics such as leadership, management, maintenance, mechanics, driving, and transportation software. The conference provides a unique venue for school transportation teams to collaborate and learn about the latest in safe and efficient transportation. Visit the Maine Association for Pupil Transportation website to register for the conference and to view the conference schedule: http://maptme.org/wp/.
This year’s keynote presentation, titled Transportation Security Interaction, will be presented by Michael Dorn, Executive Director of Safe Havens International. Mr. Dorn is an internationally known speaker, author and consultant to schools and industry. A former police officer and chief, Georgia Emergency Management Agency antiterrorism planner and lead program manager, and graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy he now writes, speaks and consults to help school communities learn how to survive incidents. Safe Havens International completed the 2014 Maine statewide school security report and wrote a school safety guide titled Twenty Strategies to Safer and More Effective Schools. Safe Havens International is the world’s leading non-profit school safety center and is dedicated to assisting schools and their community partners in creating a safer world for our children and those who dedicate their lives to educating them.
The keynote address will be delivered on Friday, July 24th from 9:00 AM to noon. Non-transportation school staff are invited to attend the conference at no charge on Friday in order to hear this important keynote address, although registration is required.
Training for transportation staff is especially important as transportation has become more complex and is changing at a rapid pace. Operations, technology, laws, security, fuel, maintenance, routing, communication, and student care are essential knowledge requirements to work in the transportation industry and keep our students safe. Information related to these topics will be addressed at the conference. The conference is sponsored in collaboration with the Maine Department of Education, Maine State Police and Maine Association for Pupil Transportation.
Transportation resources are available on the Maine DOE School Transportation website at www.maine.gov/education/const/trans/home.htm.
Security resources are available on the Maine DOE School Security website at http://www.maine.gov/doe/security/index.html.